Russia must develop for benefit of people – Putin

November 27, 2011, 18:26 UTC+3Putin also said that taxes paid by average citizens must not be burdensome, while larger taxes must be levied on luxury

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MOSCOW, November 27 (Itar-Tass) —— The country must develop for the benefit of people, not at their expense, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said at the 12th congress of the United Russia Party on Sunday.

“Every decision we make, every step we take must meet the interests of the absolute majority of citizens,” he said. Prosperity of the nation must be the fundamental principle of any transformations and reforms, he noted. “We must not only ensure the growth of our population but also improve the quality of the human potential,” he said.

“Russia set great goals many times and achieved them with the unity based on common values: the truth, dignity and justice,” Putin said.

The main demand of the people of Russia is justice, he said.

Putin said he would do the utmost for the national development in the case of his election victory.

“It would not be an exaggeration to say that my whole life was dedicated to the service to fatherland. If people elect me to the nation’s top position, I will do my best to succeed, to ensure the development of this country and to improve people’s life,” he said.

Putin also said that taxes paid by average citizens must not be burdensome, while larger taxes must be levied on luxury.

“Taxes paid by average citizens must not be burdensome. At the same time, taxes must be higher on luxury and hyper-consumption. That is obvious,” he said.

“Russian high-tech industries and companies operating in the social sector must pay lesser taxes than the ones paid by the raw material sector. The tax reform will continue in the interests of citizens,” he said.

He promised worthy assistance to Russian business, “which builds factories, introduces new technologies and gaining positions on the world market.”

“Business must realize that it is wrong and impermissible to stash money in offshore companies and shirk social commitments . It is equally impermissible to underfinance industrial security, to ignore environmental requirements and to breach workers’ rights,” he said.

“Economic freedom must rest upon social justice, responsibility and worthy conduct of Russian business,” Putin said.

“Russia must have an advanced economy resistant to market fluctuations and have points of growth across its territory. In order to have advanced industries and social sphere, we need to open way to thousands of new initiatives and to raise the prestige of workers, engineers, farmers, scientists, teachers and doctors – the backbone of the country,” he said.

“The upgrading of interbudgetary relations will continue. We must prioritize the principle of justice. Self-sufficient and active regions, which implement development projects, support business and create jobs, must enjoy additional incentives and more possibilities for their development,” Putin said.

“We have never promised manna from heaven. Such promises would be idle talk. Yet we know for sure that our country will be successful if we work steadily and unfailingly,” he said.

Putin said he would continue the adjustment of the Russian political system and would be doing that with great care and responsibility.

“Our democracy is young and we need political institutions, which will work efficiently in our lifetime and the lifetime of our children. We need a stable political system,” he said.

“We need mechanisms, which will guarantee long-term and sustainable development of Russia, which has experienced shocks and revolutions in its history. This is an extremely important task,” Putin said.

“All that must be done on democratic principles. Any political transformations must be evolutionary and consistent,” he said.

“The country also needs strong state institutes serving the country and its people,” Putin said.

“The very philosophy of civil service – the whole state machinery from the federal to municipal level – must change. Our primary task is to draw professional and modern people to civil service. These people must be prepared not only to make a career, which is not bad either, but also to serve Russia with good faith and fidelity. There have always been many such people in Russia. There are many such people now, and they will be in demand,” he said.

Putin warned foreign states trying to influence the outcome of the Russian presidential election that their efforts and money would be wasted.

“I know that ahead of the State Duma and presidential election, representatives of some foreign states gather those they sponsor, the so called grant holders, for giving them directives aimed to influence the outcome of the election campaign in our country,” he said. “Their efforts will be wasted. Judas is not the most respected biblical character in this country. Let them use the funds for paying their state debts and stop holding an inefficient and expensive foreign policy.”

In the words of Putin, the creation of the Eurasian Union is a primary project and he is grateful the leaders of Kazakhstan and Belarus.

Russia has proposed the soonest creation of the Eurasian Union for combating modern threats and challenges, Putin said. “We have done a lot for unification on the post-Soviet space. The Eurasian Union meets today’s requirements, creates new possibilities for citizens, business, investments, culture, science and education and gives firm guarantees of stability and tranquility on the huge Eurasian space,” he said.

“I must express my gratitude to the leaders of Kazakhstan and Belarus. They follow this path unwaveringly and calmly and protect national interests. This makes us certain that the final goal will be attained,” Putin said.